ATLANTA — The Marvel Cinematic Universe is about to get a gender-flip thanks to Hannah John-Kamen.

The Killjoys actress plays the villainous Ghost in Ant-Man and the Wasp (in theatres Friday). But in the comics, the shapeshifting baddie was a male who was an enemy of Iron Man.

“What’s brilliant about Marvel is that we’re changing it up,” John-Kamen told the Sun during an exclusive visit to the film’s set in Atlanta last fall.

When the creative team behind Ant-Man and the Wasp were pondering who Earth’s tiniest heroes Ant-Man/ Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) and the Wasp/ Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) should square off against, they chose to give the supervillain a gender swap to give things a shake.

John-Kamen, the 28-year-old Brit who also has been seen on Game of Thrones as well as this year’s Tomb Raider and Ready Player One, is part of a Marvel film that is making a big statement about women in the MCU.

Not only is Ghost the villain, but Ant-Man and the Wasp – the 20th film in an interconnected film series that includes this year’s Black Panther and Avengers: Infinity War – is the first one to include a female character in a title role.

Adding Wasp as a main character to the sequel was a natural fit, executive producer Stephen Broussard said.

“The film is not called Ant-Man 2, it’s called Ant-Man and the Wasp.”

So, with Lilly’s heroine having a more prominent part to play in the action, which finds Scott, Hope and Michael Douglas’ Hank Pym on a quest to rescue Janet Van Dyne from the Quantum Realm, it was logical for Ant-Man and the Wasp to feature a female villain. And the fact that there was a lot of mystery surrounding Ghost made the character easy to modify.

“There was no known alter ego in the comics,” Broussard explained. “No one knew much about who he was. That gave us the freedom to reinvent the character in ways we think are fresh and in ways we haven’t seen in the MCU.

“I think it’s surprising and leads into a motivation for her that’s super cool and super clear. It’s not, ‘I want to take over the world.’ There are no grand villain designs… She has her own thing that she’s after and (Ant-Man and Wasp) are in her way.”

“When you watch villains in any movie they’re usually the most exciting. The question of why are they the villain isn’t always about world domination,” John-Kamen added, making reference to Josh Brolin’s Thanos in Infinity War. “What’s amazing with Ghost is – it’s personal.”

On a break during a fight sequence that will see Ghost battling Wasp for a suitcase (the contents of which we’ll just say are secret), John-Kamen reflected on joining the MCU and what makes her villain different from the finger-snapping Mad Titan.

Ghost has possibly one of the coolest costumes in the MCU. What was it like when you first put on the suit?

Putting on the costume just changes you. It’s amazing how it does that. She’s such a badass and there’s going to be a wow factor when you see her.

Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost in a scene from Ant-Man and the Wasp. (Film Frame/ Marvel Studios)

How did you react when you got the part of Ghost?

It seems like it’s the best time to be joining the MCU. It’s a huge family and I feel like I’ve been very much welcomed into it. I had the biggest smile on my face when I got the call. Whenever I get a role, I always play a song to celebrate. I put on Miley Cyrus and played Do My Thang. That was my song for this.

How’s your villain different from what we’ve seen in Marvel films that have come before?

Ghost’s objective is very personal… I’d say, ‘Expect the unexpected.’

Did you have to do a lot of research?

I like my comics. I’m already a Marvel fan. I’ve got loads of Marvel graphic novels — DC as well. I’ve grown up on comics and a lot of these characters and villains. Actually, to be honest, villains have always been my favourite characters. Always, always, always. I’ve always thought, ‘I can’t wait to turn the page see what’s next.’ But because in the comics Ghost is a male, this version was completely open to interpretation.

Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost in a scene from Marvel’s Ant-Man and the Wasp. (Ben Rothstein/ Marvel Studios)

We’re here in the middle of a huge fight scene. How intense are things going to get?

I love doing my own stunts. There’s definitely going to be occasions where we are going to be very physical. But I have to be careful. I don’t actually want to punch Paul Rudd.

In the comics, Ghost is a foe of Iron Man. Will we see you back in next year’s Avengers 4?

I’m so happy with the amount of characters that I get to interact with in this movie. In terms of the original comics, yes the character Ghost was with Iron Man and the Avengers, but I don’t know what the future holds.

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